Of Wizards, or Istari
by Balin Lord of Moria
Summary: The five wizards of the Third Age of Middle-earth each share their thoughts on their lives and their missions.


_Gandalf the Grey (Olórin)_

They say that I am the wisest of all the Maiar, but even if I am, it is not as light a burden as some would think. I am a servant of the Master of Dreams and Visions, Irmo of Lórien, but my ways often took me to the house of Nienna the Weeper, and from her I learned vitally important wisdom about pity and endurance beyond hope. I was counted as the second greatest in the Istari Order, though Lady Varda and Círdan the Elven-shipwright ranked me as the greatest, and my Wizard's color is (was) Grey. Now it is White. Though I am not sure if I truly am the wisest of the Maiar, and only _became_ the wisest of the Istari due to Saruman's treachery, even I cannot deny that my strength, advice, and wisdom have all but guided the Free Peoples of Middle-earth to victory over our enemy, Sauron. I am ever grateful to Círdan for his gift of Narya, the Elven Ring of Fire, for without it, I may have found it much more difficult to inspire the Free Peoples to rise up against the Dark Lord. I owe it partly to Narya for making Men like Aragorn, Théoden, Faramir, and Boromir brave and resolute, and it has worked even more miraculously on Hobbits. Through its powers, I was able to give Frodo Baggins, his uncle Bilbo, and their friends, Sam, Merry, and Pippin, the strength of will to brave the dangers of Mordor and the wild to destroy the One Ring.

It was by my instigation that Smaug the Dragon was slain and the Battle of Five Armies was won, and it was the power of Narya working through one brave little Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, that brought Thorin and Company out of many messes they would never have gotten themselves out of. It was also I who helped the Men of Rohan and Gondor win the Battle of the Hornburg and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields against Sauron's seemingly unstoppable armada. I alone succeeded in destroying the Balrog of Moria that no other living thing in Middle-earth could stand up to. Before all these things I helped the White Council stand against Sauron, discovered Sauron's return, and drove him out of Dol Guldur. Yet the thing that people hold me in the highest regard for is my discovery of the One Ring and my guiding of the Ring-bearer to the place of its destruction, and I believe that is the most important of all the deeds I did while in Middle-earth. Perhaps what I will remember and love the most, however, is not any of my good deeds, but the lessons that interacting with Hobbits taught me. They are truly amazing creatures; you can learn everything there is to know about them, and in a hundred years, they still surprise you. Every Hobbit whom I befriended has surprised me time and again, and I will never forget their loyalty to the good of Eru, even if they are unaware of His existence. And I will never forget the simple pleasure of smoking their Pipe-weed from a carven pipe. I am Olórin, Mithrandir, Tharkûn, Incánus, Gandalf the Grey, and Gandalf the White.

_Radagast the Brown (Aiwendil)_

By Eru, and my mistress Yavanna, Middle-earth is a place of beauty nearly as great as the Undying Lands from whence I came! The Kelvar and Olvar of the land, particularly in the forests, like Mirkwood, never cease to amaze me. The herbs are a challenge of education to my mind that I have longed for many years. The beasts, from the little squirrel and chipmunk, to the deer and the great bear, are just like the beasts of Valinor, handsome, intelligent, (though not intelligent enough to be sapient, sadly), and alive with wonder. The birds, however, are the most beautiful of them all! I have friends among virtually all birds that live in this part of Middle-earth, and all of them, from the thrush to the raven to the eagle, are willing to let me be their friend in return. I have noticed that my cousin Gandalf seems to garner more respect and friendship from the eagles than I do, but there is no point in being jealous of him, for Gandalf is just as worthy of the animals' friendship as I am. I have even learned to speak the many languages of the birds, so there is no need to feel the slightest frustration from their lack of sentience. Many beasts and birds can find temporary sanctuary in my home, Rhosgobel, where I can also talk with and study them, and worry not! I do not use inhumane methods to study my subjects!

Having lived among the Beornings for many years, coupled with my worthy powers of wizardry, I have even become a master of shapes and changes of hue, so I may shift shape and form if I so wish, and walk unseen among those I watch over. The Beornings and Woodmen of Mirkwood, as well as the Ent guardians of the Forest of Fangorn, revere my wisdom in plants and animals, for in forest-lore I have no equal in Middle-earth. There are some Ainur across the sea whom I can hear whispering about how I am neglecting my real mission here, to rally the Free Peoples and defeat Sauron the Great. But, and please do not misunderstand me, although I love both Elves, Men and Dwarves, my purpose is to protect the Kelvar and Olvar of Middle-earth from the onslaught of Sauron's evil and prepare them for survival if Sauron should conquer. The "lower life-forms" are my duty, not the Free Peoples. Mistress Yavanna said so herself when she insisted that Saruman had to take me with him to these lands, and even Eru Himself appoints a certain job to every living person He creates, and the Ainur are no exception. I am only hoping that Gandalf and Saruman are doing as good a job rallying the Free Peoples as I am rallying the animals and birds, for I do not believe that I, a lesser Wizard, could hold back Sauron's darkness alone. I am Aiwendil, Radagast the Brown.

_Morinehtar the Blue (Alatar)_

I am not someone who will be remembered in Western Middle-earth. Most people there do not even know I exist. My domain is in the East, and to the East I will always go when sent. What disappoints me is that I know not whether anyone even in Valinor will know what my friend, Rómestámo, and I, have accomplished here. Without us, Sauron's forces would have been too much for the forces of the West to face while Gandalf was seeking for a way to destroy him. We are Istari who serve as hunters for Oromë the Huntsman, and in the East we hunt for the Easterlings, seeking out those who rebelled from Morgoth-worship and stirring up more rebellion against evil. We sought to redeem as many as we could, and to cause dissension and disarray among the unrepentant ones. In this way, we saved many souls, and we weakened many of Sauron's Men-based forces, making it a little easier for the armies of the West to balance the battles against the Dark Lord. Since we have made the mistake of keeping too low a profile in the East, though, and the few in the West who are still aware we exist assume that we either died or have failed like Saruman. A few even think we may be responsible for creating magic cults that profane Eru. I just hope we can find a way back to the West someday and plead our case, for our bows and arrows cannot hunt and kill the Men and beasts of Rhûn forever. I am Alatar, Morinehtar the Blue of the Ithryn Luin, the Blue Wizards.

_Rómestámo the Blue (Pallando)_

What can I say, except that I am of like mind and almost like appearance to my friend Morinehtar? We served Oromë, travelled to the East, redeemed some souls, stirred up rebellion against evil, and have faded into obscurity due to our failure to report back to the Powers that sent us. And for now, we live in exile in the lands where we have long worked, hoping beyond hope that it will end some time before the Dagor Dagorath at the end of Time. I am Pallando, Rómestámo the Blue of the Ithryn Luin, the Blue Wizards.

_Saruman the White (Curumo)_

I am called the "Man of skill" in Elvish Sindarin, and for good reason. As a Maia of Aulë like the Dark Lord Sauron, I have always excelled at craftsmanship and am widely known for my great wisdom. Although some people, like Varda Elbereth and Círdan the Elven-shipwright think otherwise, I was counted as the greatest of the Order of Wizards. While Gandalf indulged in the ways of the little Halflings and Radagast the Fool wasted time taming birds and beasts, I walked most among Men, and they learned much from my counsel. For centuries, I have been eager to prove myself as a worthy Maia by seeking to destroy Sauron, but my pride eventually told me that the source of his life force, the Ruling Ring, could offer me an even better option, to take out Sauron as his rival and take his place as ruler of Middle-earth. So I came to the stronghold Isengard of Gondor, and the Ruling Steward, Beren, granted me the Key to the Tower of Orthanc, believing that I was going to help his country fight the Dark Lord's forces in the East. However, instead, I bred my own dark army, full of Orc legions and Uruk-hai, Half-orcs and Dunlendings, and turned Isengard into a fortress to fight Barad-dûr itself. All I needed to win the fight against Sauron was his One Ring of Power.

I had already experimented with lesser magic rings with my creation of a personal ring that looks much like the Elven Ring Narya that Círdan, in his wisdom, gave to Gandalf instead of me, and so I have a good idea of what it is like to have a Ring of Power. I tried to get it by using smooth deceit in meetings of the White Council, of which I was the head, making plans to do certain things that would draw the Ring out of its lost hiding place. I made a terrible blunder, though, when I unintentionally revealed my lust for it to Gandalf in Orthanc. I could no longer use my subtle voice to deceive the Wise Ones whom I once overruled. It was not long after that, when all my power was annihilated by the enemies I made. The Ents, whose trees I had cut down to feed the fires of Isengard, and whom I had greatly underestimated, destroyed Isengard, leaving only Orthanc for they could not damage it. Their ghastly Huorn neighbors and the Rohirrim wiped out all my armies, and Gandalf, who had returned from the dead more powerful than I, broke my staff and stole my sorcerous power from me forever. I do not believe I could have taken any other path in life than this, and it is too late to repent, even if Gandalf _insists_ to the contrary. He and those Halflings are more responsible for my downfall than anyone else. But though I have not the ability to avenge myself on Gandalf, I will get revenge of sweetness on his beloved Halflings, as soon as I sweet-talk Fangorn the Ent into letting me go. And I know where the Halfling race lives, for I have had agents working there for a very long time, so it will not be a problem integrating myself into the Shire and taking it for my own. I am Curumo, Curunír, Saruman the White, and Saruman of Many Colors.


End file.
